System and method for processing value units

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a system and method for processing value units, such as bank notes, coins or checks. A system and method for processing deposits of value units are provided by which bank notes of the deposit are checked successively in two bank note processing machines, and the data of both the first and second checking operations are supplied to an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and second checking operations. This two-stage processing provides the possibility of carrying out the processing of deposits in cash centers considerably more efficiently than with hitherto used methods.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a system and method for processing bank notes,coins, checks or other value units.

In various countries, commercial enterprises are increasingly beingengaged to take charge of and perform certain tasks in the logistics ofcirculation of cash in so-called cash centers. Tasks performed by suchcash centers are for example to account for stocks of cash delivered bycustomers and to make up and deliver amounts of cash desired bycustomers in the desired amount. Such stocks of cash assigned to aspecial process, which can comprise not only bank notes but in somecases also coins, checks, postage stamps, amounts of gold or the like,are normally also referred to as “deposits”.

These tasks to be performed by the cash center require a high timeinvestment and deployment of personnel, as experience shows.

SUMMARY

On these premises, it is the problem of the present invention to providea system and method for processing value documents which can improve theprocessing of the value documents in cash centers.

The invention is thus for instance solved by a system and method forprocessing deposits of value documents by which bank notes of thedeposit are checked successively in two bank note processing machines,and the data of both the first and second checking operations aresupplied to an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation, inparticular also an accounting, of the deposit on the basis of both thefirst and second checking operations. Accounting is understood here tomean validating the recorded and accounted-for amounts to an associatedaccount of the customer.

This two-stage processing provides the possibility of performing theprocessing of deposits in cash centers much more efficiently than withhitherto used methods, as will be explained hereinafter in detail bydifferent examples. Although the following lowing discussion will dealspecifically with the special problems of bank note processing, theseinventive ideas can also be applied to the processing of other valueunits such as coins, checks, postage stamps or the like.

It should be particularly emphasized that embodiments stated in thedescription can be used advantageously in combination or else completelyor at least partly independently of each other and of the subject matterof the main claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained and described in more detail hereinafterwith reference to the enclosed drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows a simplified, schematized representation of a circulationof money; and

FIG. 2 shows a simplified, schematized representation of a cash center.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

First, a usual circulation of money will be explained hereinafter, thenessential functions of a cash center in the circulation of money, thenvarious particularly advantageous variants of the operation of a cashcenter by way of example with reference to different process steps.

Circulation of Money:

FIG. 1 shows a variant of the circulation of bank notes in a schematicrepresentation in a greatly simplified form.

In a bank note printing plant BD the bank notes are produced by order ofa central bank ZB. Via the central bank ZB the finished bank notes areput into circulation by being issued to individual commercial banks GBor to cash centers CC. Merchants H, which refers here to all commercialbusinesses, receive their stocks of cash through private customers, i.e.buyers PK, or from the commercial banks GB. For accounting and checkingof the deposited stocks of cash, the merchants H pass their stocks ofcash on to the cash centers CC or commercial banks GB. The buyers PK inturn receive their cash through the commercial banks GB. Moreover,stocks of cash that were already in circulation can flow back from thecommercial banks GB and cash centers CC to the central bank ZB, to beoptionally rechecked for authenticity and/or fitness for circulationthere and for the destruction of bank notes no longer fit forcirculation.

The money flow can be handled here partly by automatic teller machinesAT. These may be not only money dispensing devices AT, but also moneydeposit devices AT and combined money deposit and dispensing devices,so-called recycling devices AT. Thus, customers K receive a largeportion of their stocks of cash from dispensing devices AT, while inparticular commercial banks GB partly deposit their takings in depositdevices AT for further crediting. The transport of the stocks of cashbetween the individual units of the circulation of money is preferablyeffected by security transport companies.

Tasks (Cash Center):

As mentioned above, the cash centers CC can perform different tasks. Oneessential task is to process cash delivered to the cash centers CC bytheir business customers. This may be e.g. cash takings which aredelivered to the cash centers CC directly by the merchants H or bycommercial banks GB or from associated automatic teller machines AT.Processing can consist for example in counting and sorting, connectedwith an authenticity check and optionally a fitness check of incomingdeposits. Deposits refer here in the usual way to units of cash assignedto a certain process (customer, automatic teller machine, date, etc.)which are usually stored and transported in bundled form in a transportcontainer, such as a bank note cassette or bank deposit bag.

Further, stocks of cash can be ordered from the cash centers CC, whichare then made up in the desired way and delivered to the customers.These made-up stocks of cash can be used for example for filling moneydispensing devices AT or as stocks of change for the merchants H.

It is moreover conceivable that a destruction of bank notes no longerfit for circulation is performed not by the central banks ZB themselves,but also by commercial cash centers CC after a fitness check.

Moreover, cash centers CC can preferably create for their customers aninventory management of their stocks of cash and optionally alsoinventory optimization or cash demand forecasting, to thereby reduce thecosts of unneeded stored stocks of cash with the customers and at thecash center CC itself.

Process Flow (Cash Center):

For carrying out these and other processes, numerous variants areconceivable which are used alternatively or parallel to each other at acash center.

According to a special idea of the present invention, differentprocessing sequences are performed for different types of deposits, suchas deposits delivered by the commercial banks in comparison withdeposits from the merchants and/or with deposits from deposit/dispensingdevices. The criterion for different processing can for example alsoconsist in the size of the deposits or the type of previous processingoperations on the deposits, as to be explained below.

For illustration, the differences in the processing sequences willhereinafter be described separately and preferred alternatives shownwith reference to single process steps in exemplary fashion, inparticular with reference to FIG. 2 showing the structure of a cashcenter CC in schematic simplified fashion.

a) Preparation of Deposits (Customer):

The deposits can be inputted in transport containers 1 automatically ormanually by the customer, so that the cash center CC can store andprocess separately from each other the stocks of cash of differentdeposits to be processed. The deposits are assigned to certaincustomers, i.e. depositors or associated deposit/dispensing devices AT.The customer will optionally send data on the content of the individualdeposits to the cash center CC. This can preferably be done via adelivery document with data on all deposits of the customer upon eachdelivery.

EXAMPLE a1

The deposits are put into associated transport containers 1 manually bythe customer, such as a merchant. The transport containers 1 used can bee.g. bank deposit bags 2, i.e. plastic bags that, after the cash is putin, are sealed in such a way that they can only be opened bydestruction. The data of the bank notes contained in the transportcontainer 1, such as the number and total value of the bank notes,together with other data (e.g. data on the customer/depositor, date,etc.), are applied to the transport container 1 itself or storedtherein.

EXAMPLE a2

The deposits can alternatively also be inputted into cassettes 3.Filling will specifically in this case preferably be effectedautomatically. The cassettes 3 can be e.g. inserted into money depositand/or dispensing devices AT and receive deposited bank notes or onesnot yet dispensed. In this case the data of the bank notes contained inthe cassettes 3, such as the number and total value of the bank notes,together with data on the associated device AT and/or customer, arestored automatically in a memory chip of the cassette 3 itself orexternally.

EXAMPLE a3

Preferably, a semiautomatic recording of deposits by the customer canalso be provided. This can consist e.g. in a part of the required data,such as the date, time, till (with a merchant H) and/or associatedaccount (of the merchant H or other cash center customer), being alreadygiven and the customer only having to state a remaining part of the data(number of bank notes and/or their total amount).

EXAMPLE a4

In particular also in this case, the cash center CC will preferablyprovide the customer with transport containers 1, specifically bankdeposit bags 2 with a chip or associated chip card according to DE 10155 731 A1, in which the given data are already prestored. This meansthat the chips do not need to have a processor, but at least a memoryfor storing data. The customer need then only write the remaining datato the chip.

EXAMPLE a5

The customer can for this purpose, for example, also be given and use ahand-held unit for inputting the required data and storing the data inthe chip of the transport container 2. The hand-held unit can havewireless or wired operation, and the data transmission to the chip beeffected contactlessly or with contact. The hand-held unit can also havefor example, instead of or in addition to a hand-held unit with an entrykeyboard or associated touch screen, a scanner for scanning screencontents comprising the required deposit data.

EXAMPLE a6

The data can not only be conveyed from the customer to the cash centerCC together with the associated transport container 1 by the data beingfor example written on the transport container 1 itself or on anassociated paper or chip. Alternatively, it is also possible to conveythe data separately from the transport of the containers 1. Thus, thedata are preferably transmitted from the customer to the cash center CCe.g. via a wireless or wired EDI connection, Internet connection or thelike. Transmission can be effected e.g. directly from the deposit and/ordispensing device to a computer 4 as an evaluation device 4 of the cashcenter CC.

Thus, the customers can e.g. input the data on the deposits, which aresubsequently delivered to the cash center CC in the containers 1, in aninput mask of an Internet portal of the cash center CC, the data beingassigned uniquely to a container 1 in each case by e.g. the data havinga serial number assigned thereto which is printed on a sticker by thecustomer and affixed to the container. The serial number can e.g. alsobe present as a bar code which is applied to the container orincorporated therein or stored in a chip of the container 1.

Separate conveyance of the deposit data to the cash center has theadvantage that persons employed at the security transport company WTU orat the cash center CC have no overview of the values basically expectedin the deposit container, so that there is no incentive to steal banknotes that may be erroneously declared and present in excess.

EXAMPLE a7

In the last-named examples the data on the deposits to be delivered tothe cash center CC are preferably supplied to the cash center CC beforethe deposits themselves, so that the cash center can perform acorresponding work planning.

b) Transport of Deposits (Customer-Cash Center):

The deposits to be processed from one or more customers can be picked upand delivered to the cash center CC by security transport companies WTU.

EXAMPLE b1

It can be provided that the banks have drop-in safes or other drop-incontainers in which customers can drop their deposits. The securitytransport companies WTU will then empty the drop-in safes at regulartime intervals and deliver the deposits to the cash center CC forfurther processing and accounting.

EXAMPLE b2

Instead of regular emptying, it can also be provided that the times atwhich the security transport companies WTU empty the drop-in safes aremade dependent on the content of the drop-in safes. This can be effectede.g. by measuring the filling level of the drop-in safe or bydetermining other quantities that provide information on the amount ofcash present in the drop-in safe. If the containers 1 dropped into thedrop-in safe by the customer contain for example a chip with associateddata on the amount of cash contained therein, this information can beread out in the drop-in safe and used to gain information on the totalamount of all stocks of cash contained in the drop-in safe. If the cashcontents of all containers 1 cannot be determined in this way, at leastpredictions of the expected amount of cash located in the container 1can be considered.

Since the maximum insurance sum of the stocks of cash located in thedrop-in safe is usually already reached before the drop-in safe iscompletely filled, the security transport companies WTU will preferablyalready empty the drop-in safes before they are completely filled.Emptying can be effected upon a corresponding signal which is producedon the basis of the above-mentioned evaluation of the stocks of cashcontained in the drop-in safe.

EXAMPLE b3

It is e.g. also possible to localize the transport containers 1 by meansof GPS so as to be always informed about the whereabouts of allcontainers 1.

c) Receipt of Deposits (Cash Center):

The deposits delivered by the security transport company WTU are removedand checked at the cash center CC. They can at the same time be preparedseparately according to bank notes, coins and checks.

EXAMPLE c1

For this purpose the number of transport containers 1 is compared e.g.upon receipt at a processing station 22 at the cash center CC withinformation located on the particular customer's delivery document whichis delivered together with the deposits. In case of discrepancies acorresponding note for data synchronization with the customer isproduced and stored for the accounting to be described hereinafter.

Then the transport containers 1 are opened, the contained bank notes BNremoved and stored separately from those of other deposits. Theassignment of bank notes to the deposit is retained by e.g. the bankdeposit bag 2 being stored together with the bank notes BN in a depositcontainer 5 belonging to the cash center CC.

EXAMPLE c2

It is also conceivable to photograph the incoming deposit containers 1,in particular bank deposit bags 2, at the processing station 22 or e.g.on a conveyor belt T leading thereto, optionally from several sides. Thephotos are then used for reading bank deposit bag data, in particular anassociated serial number which is applied to the bank deposit bag andcan be determined automatically by means of an OCR reader.

EXAMPLE c3

If processes at the cash center CC are managed with cash centermanagement software, hereinafter referred to only as software, the dataof the deposit are inputted to the associated software of the evaluationdevice, i.e. a computer 4, which is connected to computers at allprocessing stations via signal lines. As mentioned, this datatransmission can be effected separately from the transport containers 1e.g. via an EDI or Internet connection, on the one hand. Alternatively,the data are inputted e.g. manually or read from a chip of the transportcontainer 1. To permit assignment of the data records in the software tothe deposit, identification data such as a serial number of theassociated transport container 1 are at least recorded, e.g. by scanninga corresponding bar code of the container 1.

It can be provided additionally or alternatively to assign and add aninformation card 6 to the individual deposits. For this purpose, uniqueidentification data from information card 6 and assigned deposit orassociated transport container 1 are inputted by these data being e.g.inputted manually or an applied serial number scanned. Then theinformation card 6 is stored together with all deposit contents BN inthe common deposit container 5. This assignment by software and/orinformation card 6 has the advantage that it permits simple retracingand assignment of the deposits, in particular also to the associateddeposit data records in the software for the subsequent accounting ofthe deposits, during all processing operations, depending on theprocessing operation.

EXAMPLE c4

As mentioned, it can also be of advantage in some cases if theindividual deposits or deposit containers 1 are assigned at the cashcenter only unique identification data, such as a consecutive number,but no deposit data, in particular on their putative value. The depositdata should in this case be accessible only to certain persons who areresponsible for the final accounting.

EXAMPLE c5

If a deposit consisting of several parts is delivered, being deliveredfor example in a cassette 2 and a bank deposit bag 3, the contents ofthe cassette 2 and the associated bank deposit bag 3 will preferably notbe processed separately from each other, but first brought together andonly then processed further as a common deposit. This leads to lowererror rates during later data synchronization of the individual checkresults in the software.

EXAMPLE c6

A further special idea of the present invention is that data aretransmitted from a computer 4 at the cash center CC which has access tothe data on deposits incoming and to be processed, to all or at leastsome of the bank note processing machines 8, 12 connected to saidcomputer 4 by data line at the cash center CC. The transmitted data aredeposit-related and are used for preconfiguring the machines 8, 12 fordeposits to be subsequently processed on said machine.

EXAMPLE c7

The machines are thus transmitted e.g. control and/or configuration dataand/or other machine parameters stating e.g. which parameters and/orprocessing mode are to be used for processing, e.g. transporting and/orchecking by associated sensors, a specific subsequent deposit in themachine. It can e.g. be provided that, according to a further idea to bedescribed more exactly hereinafter, bank notes from money dispensingdevices which have not been in customer contact, i.e. not dispensed inthe meantime, and are normally stored in proper orientation and sortedby denomination, are processed without an authenticity check and/orfitness check and/or orientation check and/or orientation sorting, whileother deposits which were e.g. deposited by buyers are checked by thestated checking operations.

EXAMPLE c8

Besides specifying the check mode and/or the sorting criteria fordifferent deposits, the processing mode can e.g. also be fixed by e.g.fixing and deciding for the particular deposit whether the two-stageprocessing mode described in detail hereinafter or the one-stageprocessing mode is to be carried out.

EXAMPLE c9

In the stated transmission of data on deposits to be processed, data canbe transmitted to a specific machine. This can be done e.g. by theoperator inputting the identification data of the particular deposit onthe machine 8, 12 or said identification data being recordedautomatically. The machine will then produce a data connection with thecomputer 4 to load the associated data relating to the particulardeposit for presetting the machine 8, 12.

EXAMPLE c10

For better control, it can also be provided that when there are aplurality of machines with the same function, a specific deposit is tobe processed only on a specific one of said machines according to aspecification by the software of the computer 4, by only said machinebeing transmitted said data and/or a deposit-related enabling signalwhich allows processing of the deposit in the particular machineenabled.

EXAMPLE c11

However, it may also be that data are not only sent to the machines onrequest, but that all possible data are always transmitted to all or atleast some of the machines connected to the computer 4 so that theyalways have the suitable data available directly for a depositsubsequently to be processed there.

d) Processing of Deposits—First Stage (Cash Center):

The thus prepared deposits are then distributed over a plurality offirst processing stations 7. In a first stage of processing, all banknotes BN of a deposit are counted there and the counting data comparedwith the customer's accompanying information on the particular deposit.Counting is preferably done automatically with a counting device 8 asthe first processing machine 8, which has an input pocket 9 and at leastone output pocket 10 and is assigned to the particular processingstation 7. The counting device 8 is operated such that all bank notes BNof a deposit are inputted into the input pocket 9 and counted, theirvalue determined, and the bank notes outputted into the output pockets10.

EXAMPLE d1

It is preferable to use a desktop counting device 8 which has an inputpocket 9 and a plurality of output pockets 10. The counting device 8used is e.g. a desktop counting device 8 as described in DE 199 58 017A1. Such devices 8 with a plurality of output pockets 10 have theadvantage that they can be used not only for counting but also foralready sorting according to given criteria.

EXAMPLE d2

Besides the determination of value, an authenticity and/or fitnessand/or orientation check can for example also be performed in thecounting device 8. Thus, e.g. all bank notes BN of a specific currencythat are in a first orientation and accepted, i.e. recognized asauthentic, can be outputted to a first output pocket 10, all acceptedbank notes BN in another orientation to a second pocket 10, and allother bank notes BN, such as bank notes not recognized or accepted,so-called reject bank notes, or bank notes of another currency to athird pocket 10.

EXAMPLE d3

If only the bank notes BN of a single deposit are processed at the sametime in a counting device 8 by the operator at the processing station 7,it is unnecessary to use separation cards, whose fundamental function isdescribed for example in DE 100 49 435 A1 and which make it possible toseparate and distinguish individual deposits when a plurality ofdeposits are processed simultaneously. If more than one deposit at atime is otherwise to be processed in a counting device 8, the use ofe.g. such separation cards is helpful.

EXAMPLE d4

To achieve secure and automated processing of the obtained data, saiddata are transmitted to the software either directly and automaticallyvia an associated signal line from the counting device 8 to the computer4, or manually inputted by the operator. For further processing, datacan e.g. be inputted on the number and/or value and/or total value ofall bank notes BN and/or of the bank notes BN of given categories, suchas accepted and not accepted, false and/or suspicious bank notes BN.Further, corresponding data on all other contents of the deposit, suchas checks or coins, can also be inputted.

EXAMPLE d5

An increase in time efficiency during processing can be realized whenthe data on the instantaneously processed deposit is inputted to thesoftware during the processing of the associated bank notes BN of thedeposit in the counting device 8. This means e.g. that all relevant dataare not first inputted to the software and only then the processingoperation started on the associated bank notes in the counting device,but said input is only started during said processing and/or endedduring or after said processing.

EXAMPLE d6

According to a further idea, the counting device 8 preferably has areader unit for reading a unique bank note feature, to permit theinputted bank notes BN of a deposit to be uniquely reconstructed later.This feature can be e.g. the serial number of the bank note BN which isprinted on the bank note paper, written to a chip in the bank note orprinted on as a bar code. Alternatively, it may also comprise measuringvalues uniquely characterizing a bank note, such as a distribution ofcertain microfibers or the like incorporated into the paper, whichalways varies due to production tolerances and thus uniquelycharacterizes a bank note. This means that certain bank note-uniquefeatures, such as the serial numbers, are subsequently assigned to adeposit. It is thus e.g. possible to again do without the use ofseparation cards or the like upon subsequent further processing inanother bank note processing machine if unique deposit assignment isdesired.

EXAMPLE d7

In some cases the cash center CC receives deposits that are checked bythe cash center CC and only credited to the customer's account aftercomplete processing, in particular after all automatic checkingoperations are carried out. If in such cases the total value andoptionally the authenticity of the inputted bank notes BN is alreadyautomatically determined or checked in the first stage of processing, anaccounting of the incoming deposits and crediting to the customer can beeffected fast. This has the further advantage that the bank notes BNsubsequently no longer necessarily have to be assigned to a specificdeposit. Thus, they can be processed together with the bank notes BN ofother deposits in subsequent checking or other processing operations.

EXAMPLE d8

An increased automation level can be achieved if the bank notes BN arenot removed from the delivered cassettes 3 manually for furtherprocessing, but can be singled out of the cassettes 3, as described e.g.in DE 101 18 981 A1. In this case specifically, for inserting cassettes3 of different constructions the machines will have a plurality ofdifferent adapters or replaceable adapters. Since cash centers CC mustindeed process cassettes 3 of different constructions, this variant isparticularly advantageous for ensuring efficient processing of suchcassettes 3 with a common device 8.

e) Processing of Deposits—Second Stage (Cash Center):

After this first stage of processing, in which in particular the valueof the bank notes BN of the deposit was determined, the associated datainputted to the software and the bank notes BN optionally already sortedautomatically by orientation, all bank notes BN of a deposit are broughtto a second processing station 11 in the same cash center building,where they are processed further.

The division of processing into two stages has the advantage thatrecording, counting and accounting of the individual deposits can beeffected quickly at the processing station 7 of the first stage, whilemore extensive operations not absolutely necessary e.g. for theaccounting of the deposits, such as carrying out a fitness check ormaking up the accounted-for bank notes BN, can be effected subsequentlyand separately therefrom at a second processing station 11 only whene.g. enough deposits for efficient processing at high throughput ratesare present.

EXAMPLE e1

Further processing will preferably be effected with a different machine12 from that used for checking in the first stage, i.e. in particular amachine of a different type. Specifically, a larger bank note processingmachine 12 will be used which differs with regard to functionalityand/or efficiency and in particular performs different checkingoperations and/or has a higher maximum hourly throughput. The machinecan preferably also have a plurality of output pockets 13 (six outputpockets in FIG. 2) to permit sorting according to given criteria to beperformed. For this purpose, it is possible to use e.g. a bank noteprocessing machine 12 as described in DE 198 10 928 A1.

While a small, inexpensive counting device 8 can thus be used in thefirst stage to permit deposits to be processed separately from eachother, it will be very expedient to use a larger dimensioned bank noteprocessing machine 12 in the second stage in which a plurality ofdeposits can be processed together. However, if the counting device 8 ofthe first stage can also perform e.g. orientation sorting due to theplurality of output pockets 10, only bank note processing machines 12,specifically sorting machines, with half as many output pockets 13 willbe required in the second stage for the final and normally requiredsorting of bank notes BN according to denomination, orientation andfitness, in comparison with only one-stage processing with only one banknote processing machine 12.

The criteria for selecting a certain one of the existing machines canthus be not only size, i.e. the amount of bank notes in the deposit, butalso the fitness of bank notes, the type of deposit and/or the type ofprevious processing operations (such as previous orientation sortingand/or authenticity recognition, etc.).

EXAMPLE e2

Specifically, the process step of the second stage can be such that theinput pocket 14 of the large processing machine 12 is loaded with theprepared bank notes BN of the deposit. It is particularly expedient ifboth the bank notes recognized as authentic according to the check inthe first stage and the reject bank notes are inputted to the inputpocket 14 of the second machine for another check, while the bank notesalready categorized as false or suspicious are separated and need not berechecked. The inputted bank notes BN are then singled, checked and onceagain counted automatically in the machine 12 and outputted to thepockets 13 sorted according to denomination. After a predeterminednumber of e.g. 100 bank notes BN has been stacked into the individualpockets 13 during the processing of one or more subsequent deposits inthe machine 12, the bank notes BN are bundled and banded eitherautomatically in the machine 12 itself or manually. The data of therecount in the second stage are likewise transmitted automatically tothe software, i.e. the computer 4.

EXAMPLE e3

A further idea of the present invention is thus that data of both thefirst and second checks in two different machines 8, 12 enter into thedata acquisition and deposit evaluation by the software. This leads toparticularly secure recording and accounting of the deposits. Thisapplies at least to the case that the final accounting and crediting ofthe deposits is not already effected after the first stage.

EXAMPLE e4

Specifically it can be provided that the two machines 8, 12 areconnected to the software, i.e. the associated computer 4, via a signalline, so that the data of both machines are automatically taken intoaccount in the evaluation of the deposit processing.

EXAMPLE e5

A further special idea is to perform a two-stage check during thesuccessive check with two machines 8, 12. The check can consist forinstance in counting, sorting according to orientation and/ordenomination, in checking authenticity and/or fitness. This can consist,on the one hand, in such a checking operation being performed multiply,i.e. at least once, in each of the two machines 8, 12 to increase theaccuracy of the check.

EXAMPLE e6

The two-stage check can thus also have the feature that data of thefirst stage are taken into account in the check in the second stage.

A two-stage fitness check can be performed for example in such a waythat bank notes with good quality, according to the check in the firstcounting device 8, are processed further in a first processing machine12 a of the second stage, and bank notes with poor quality in a second,separate processing machine 12 b of the second stage. This separationaccording to the fitness criterion has the consequence that theprocessing machine 12 a of the second stage has a lower risk of jams for“good” bank notes than the processing machine 12 b of the second stagefor “poor” bank notes, so that a considerably higher throughput inprocessing can be obtained. The machines 12 a, 12 b for the differentqualities can therefore also be designed in different sizes.

To this end, it can also be provided that the first machine 8 and thesecond machine 12 are connected to each other via a signal line, anddata from the first check of a certain deposit are transmitted to thesecond machine in order to perform a check of the certain deposit independence on the transmitted data of the first machine.

EXAMPLE e7

Further, it can be provided specifically also in the event that thefirst machine 8 transmits data on a certain deposit to the secondmachine 12, that not the first machine 8 but only the second machine 12is connected to the computer 4 in order to perform more extensiveprocessing or evaluation of the data of both machines 8, 12 in thesoftware.

EXAMPLE e8

Alternatively, if the check in the first machine 8 is sufficientlyaccurate, it is also conceivable to perform the particular check only inthe first machine and no longer in the second machine 12. If bank notescan be identified uniquely in the check by their features and/or bytheir known order, a recheck of authenticity can be omitted in thesecond subsequent check in the second machine 12 e.g. when the firstmachine 8 can check authenticity accurately enough. This increases thethroughput speed, since fewer measuring data need to be recorded andevaluated.

EXAMPLE e8

According to a further idea of the present invention, it can be providedthat only certain bank notes of the deposit are checked for certaincheck criteria in the second checking operation in the second bank noteprocessing machine 12, in dependence on the check result of the firstchecking operation in the first bank note processing machine 8.

This is expediently applicable in particular also when the bank notes BNcan be identified in the second machine 12 in the check e.g. uniquely bytheir serial number or unique measuring features and/or by their knownprocessing order in the second machine 12.

It can thus be provided particularly advantageously that only those banknotes BN whose authenticity could not be ascertained with sufficientcertainty in the first checking operation are rechecked for authenticityin the second machine 12. Alternatively or additionally, it is alsopossible that only the bank notes recognized as clearly authentic in thefirst checking operation are examined for fitness in the second checkingoperation.

EXAMPLE e9

It can also be provided that the check is effected with differentaccuracy and/or different acceptance criteria in the two machines 12.Thus, e.g. an authenticity check can be performed in the processingmachine 12 of the second stage with higher accuracy than in theprocessing machine 8 of the first stage.

EXAMPLE e10

Preferably, the processing machines 8, 12 of the first and second stagesare not only connected to the computer 4 of the software via a signalline, but also to each other via signal lines in order to permit data tobe transferred from one to the other machine 8, 12.

EXAMPLE e11

Further, transport lines, such as conveyor belt systems, are preferablyused for transporting bank notes from one processing station to the nextprocessing station. In the representation of FIG. 2, said conveyor beltsystems can be installed for example along the transport paths which aremarked by the arrows T.

Alternatively or additionally, dispatch tube systems can e.g. also beused to connect the machines 8, 12. Such pneumatically operating systemsare known for example from DE 100 02 641 A1 or EP 0 690 423 A1. In thiscase the transport paths are preferably sealable in such a way that nomanual access to transported bank notes BN is possible.

EXAMPLE e12

If the transport lines are used for transporting bank notes BN fullyautomatically from one machine to the next, e.g. to transport bank notesBN checked in the first processing machine 8 directly to the secondprocessing machine 12, the pressingly machine 8 of the first stage willpreferably be constructed such that bank notes BN can be stackeddirectly into the dispatch tube containers to be transported and besingled directly out of said dispatch tube containers upon arrival atthe second processing machine 12. Stacking will consequently be effecteddirectly into the dispatch tube containers themselves and singling outof said containers themselves. Alternatively, grippers with transportmeans can be provided to permit bank notes BN stacked on a tray to beremoved as a bundle and inputted to the dispatch tube containers fortransport, or be removed as a bundle later for further singling in thesecond machine 12.

EXAMPLE e13

In particular in the event that stacking is to be effected into thedispatch tube containers themselves and/or singling out of the same, itcan be provided that the dispatch tube containers do not have a circularor cylinder form but a square form at least in the area where stackingor singling is to be done. This leads to lower space requirements duringtransport of a bundle of several hundred bank notes BN. However, it canbe provided that at least the underside of the container has a curvedform corresponding to the dispatch tube wall, so that the container canslide easily on its underside.

f) Alternative Processing of Deposits (Cash Center):

Instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned two-stage processing intwo machines 8, 12, a further process can also be performed in which allstated operations are performed with only one machine per deposit. Insuch a one-stage process, all automatic counting, checking and sortingoperations are thus performed in a single machine. For this purpose, amachine 12 corresponding to the above-mentioned use in the second stageis preferably used which allows authenticity and fitness checking andoptionally orientation sorting.

This procedure is primarily suitable for deposits with large amounts ofmoney, while the two-stage process, in which individual deposits arefirst accounted for separately on the small counting devices 8, is ofadvantage in the presence of small deposits with few bank notes.

EXAMPLE f1

Processing of a plurality of deposits at the same time on one machine 12can be effected e.g. with the help of the above-mentioned separationcards, whose fundamental function is described for example in DE 100 49435 A1.

EXAMPLE f2

Alternatively, it is also of advantage in particular for processingsmall to medium-sized deposits to use a so-called “fast deposit” mode.As described in detail in the applicant's DE 100 49 433 A1, a newaccounting unit is opened up automatically when a new process number isinputted for a deposit, e.g. read from a separation card by means of abar code reader, and processing of the previous deposit is completed.Completion of the previous deposit is determined by checking the inputpocket by ascertaining whether the singler is empty and all bank notesBN of the previous deposit have already been processed.

EXAMPLE f3

The one-stage processing operation is in particular also suitable forprocessing stocks of cash which were not outputted since they were firstput into circulation or since the last check of authenticity and/orfitness and/or the last orientation sorting. These may be e.g. banknotes which were used to fill a money dispensing device AT, e.g. at thecash center, and not yet outputted (or newly deposited) upon asubsequent change of cassette. Upon separate handling of such depositswith a one-stage processing operation, a check of authenticity, fitnessor orientation of the bank notes BN can specifically also be omitted forsuch deposits. psl g) Processing of Reject Bank Notes (Cash Center):

The treatment of reject bank notes, i.e. bank notes not recognizedand/or classified as false or suspicious in the automatic check, canproceed as follows.

EXAMPLE g1

The reject bank notes of both the first and second stages, or only thesecond stage if all non-false/suspicious reject bank notes wererechecked in the second machine 12, are stored at a further workstation15 for post-processing together with the information card 6 which isassigned to the specific deposit in the software. For post-processing ofthe reject bank notes of a deposit, the associated data are then readfrom the information card 6 and e.g. a machine-readable serial number orthe like scanned from the information card 6. Since the information card6 was assigned to a specific deposit in the software upon receipt or inthe first processing stage, a unique relation with the particulardeposit is thus produced.

The denominations of the individual authentic reject bank notesrecognized by the operator and the number or stated denomination offalse or suspicious bank notes are now inputted at the workstation 15and processed by the software, so that a final accounting of thedeposits can then be effected.

Then these reject bank notes, like the bank notes BN categorized asauthentic and fit for circulation or authentic and unfit for circulationin the previous checks, are stored in a vault area 17.

EXAMPLE g2

As mentioned above, however, it is also possible and of advantage forthis final accounting to be already effected after the first stage andoptionally a corresponding recording of the reject bank notes of thecheck of the first stage.

EXAMPLE g3

It is also optional that reject post-processing be effected at aseparate workstation 15. The data can basically also be inputted on themachines 8 or 12. Data input on the second machine 12 only makes sense,however, when large deposits are processed on the machine 12, sinceundesirable standstills of the machine otherwise occur due to thetime-consuming input of reject data.

EXAMPLE g4

It may be that there are deviations between target and actual data, suchas a deficit resulting between the data nominally stated by thecustomer, such as the total amount and/or the number of bank notes BNper denomination which should basically be present in the deposit, andthe data actually determined, optionally after consideration of thereject bank notes, after the one- and/or two-stage check in the cashcenter CC. The target data are transmitted to the cash center CC, asmentioned above, by the customer separately from the deposit itself orare also supplied together with the deposit by the data being e.g.applied to the transport container 1 or added thereto. A so-calleddifference log stating the relevant data (deviation, deposit, customer,account, cash center handler and/or date, etc.) can be created forinformation purposes.

In the event that the deposits are cassettes 3 removed fromdeposit/dispensing devices AT, the target data can also be data such ascounter readings or other information from the associateddeposit/dispensing devices AT at the time of removal of the cassettes 3stating how many bank notes BN should basically be contained in thecassettes 3.

EXAMPLE g5

Preferably, a signal is automatically emitted by the software or anotherunit only when the deviations exceed or undershoot a certain value orthere are corresponding deviations from a given range of values, saidsignal being transmitted e.g. to a supervisory workstation 16 at thecash center CC, so that an administrator can perform a check on thedeviation in the specific deposit to ascertain e.g. whether the cause ofthe error is more likely to be a problem of inaccurate targetinformation from the customer or an error during processing of thedeposits at the cash center CC. These ranges of limiting values orthresholds can preferably also be changed by the administrator from thesupervisory station 16.

EXAMPLE g6

This signal triggering is preferably effected upon deviations alsoduring fully or largely automated processing of deposits in order tobecome aware particularly easily of possible disturbances in themachines 8, 12 or associated data acquisition.

EXAMPLE g7

In the automatic check of bank notes BN at the cash center, e.g. in theauthenticity check in the machines 7 or 12, a warning signal ispreferably always produced and displayed optically and/or acousticallyand/or a corresponding signal passed on by data line to a computer, inparticular of the reject post-processing station 15 and/or thesupervisory workstation 16, when a false and/or suspicious bank note BNis detected in the check.

This warning signal is preferably passed on together with further dataon the associated deposit which uniquely characterize it. This warningsignal is then taken as a pointer to check the reject bank notes of theparticular deposit particularly exactly, i.e. at least according to adifferent processing mode, e.g. specifically with an exact authenticitycheck, compared to reject bank notes of other deposits withoutrecognition of such false and/or suspicious bank notes BN for which e.g.such an authenticity check is unnecessary.

EXAMPLE g8

Particularly preferably, this signal will be produced upon anauthenticity classification in the supervised machines 7, 12 with theclassification categories “clearly false” and “suspicious” only when a“suspicious” bank note BN, i.e. not when a “clearly false” bank note,has been recognized. This permits the additional expenditure of work forreject post-processing to be focused on only those deposits requiring aparticularly exact check.

h) Compilation of Deposits (Cash Center):

A further task of cash centers CC is to make up deposits on order onbehalf of the customers, i.e. to compile them according to total valueand/or number of bank notes BN per denomination, the deposits then beingdelivered to the customers by the security transport companies accordingto the order. This means for example that a merchant orders his stocksof change for the next day, or the stocks of cash for filling automaticcash dispensers are made up in associated cassettes 3 on behalf of acommercial bank.

This customized compilation can be effected either manually by anoperator at a separate processing station 19 and/or automatically bymeans of additional sorting machines 20 with a plurality of outputpockets 21 located in this area, as described in the applicant's DE 10046 082 A1.

EXAMPLE h1

It is particularly preferable to use for customized compilation noseparate, or at least not exclusively the separate, sorting machines 20.It can also be provided to use the sorting machines 12 with a pluralityof output pockets 13 used in the above-described process steps e) or f)for processing and accounting for incoming deposits in order to make upthe bank notes to be sorted in such a way that they can be used for apresent order. This can consist e.g. in a predetermined number of banknotes per denomination being stacked into the individual output pockets13 and then optionally also banded in the machine 12 according to acustomer's order amount.

Use of the machines 12 both for deposit processing, in particularaccounting for and validating, incoming deposits and for making upoutgoing deposits, i.e. orders, permits the money flow within the cashcenter to be reduced, since at least some of the bank notes of theincoming deposits at the cash center can be reused, i.e. used for anorder, directly without intermediate storage in a vault 17.

EXAMPLE h2

An automatic recording of all inputs and outputs of cash hithertoeffected, instantaneously performed and/or to be expected e.g. due toorders is preferably performed here. The associated data are used forperforming optimized inventory management in order to minimize theunused amounts of cash present at the cash center CC in the vault area17, and thereby save interest arising because the cash center CC mustpay interest for amounts of money on stock to the commercial bank GB orthe central bank ZB.

EXAMPLE h3

Normally, only those bank notes BN already in circulation and depositedthat have successfully undergone a given automatic authenticity andfitness check are re-outputted to the commercial banks GB or merchants Hand private persons PK or used for filling money dispensing devices AT.

This check can be effected either in so-called recycling devices, i.e.combined deposit and dispensing devices AT, which re-output e.g. toprivate persons PK authentic and fit bank notes BN that have beendeposited and accepted according to the stated checks. Alternatively oradditionally, it is provided in some countries that this check iseffected at the state central banks ZB themselves.

According to a further idea of the present invention, this check canalso be performed effectively in the following way when no recyclingdevices are used.

There are deposit devices AT that do not perform a fitness check or atleast not a state-certified fitness check suitable for recycling, buthave a checking device that performs a check of authenticity accordingto given criteria state-certified for authenticity recognition. This maybe e.g. a distinction according to “no bank note”, “false bank note”,“suspicious bank note” and “authentic bank note”.

It can now be provided to subject all bank notes categorized assuspicious and authentic to a fitness check in large processing machines12 either at the central bank ZB itself or at a cash center CC, in orderto separate out bank notes BN to be put back into circulation. Thisshare of bank notes BN to be processed and optionally transported to thecentral bank ZB can be reduced if only the bank notes BN categorized asauthentic are submitted to an associated fitness check at the cashcenters CC in a step corresponding to the above-mentioned first depositprocessing stage with the help of the small counting devices 8. Thosebank notes BN that were then judged as authentic by the deposit deviceAT and as being sufficiently fit for recycling by the counting device 8are reused for filling automatic cash dispensers AT. In the fitnesscheck, in which the fitness of the bank note is classified e.g. into theclasses “unfit for recirculation” or “fit for recirculation”, the degreeof soiling or the presence of holes, tears, adhesive strips or the likecan be checked in the usual way.

EXAMPLE h4

According to a further special idea of the present invention, functionsof a cash center are performed in a security transport vehicle itself.

Thus, the security transport vehicle can be for example loaded withstocks of cash that are already prefinished in certain amounts and notyet assigned to a customer, i.e. to a cash order. If the securitytransport vehicles are connected to the cash center CC by means of awireless data line, data on orders to be subsequently processed can betransmitted to the security transport vehicles e.g. also during a trip.The driver can then promptly go to the particular customer and compile adesired make-up for the customer with the prefinished bank notes storedin the security transport vehicle.

EXAMPLE h5

In an extension of this idea, it is also conceivable that some or all ofthe process steps stated in the above chapters a) to e) are performed inthe vehicle itself e.g. by means of one or more machines 8, 12 locatedtherein. Thus, e.g. the counting and determination of value andoptionally already the accounting, i.e. validation, of the depositspicked up at a first place can be performed in the security transportvehicle itself by means of at least one machine 8 installed thereinduring the trip to another place (bank, cash center).

i) Other Process Steps (Cash Center):

EXAMPLE i1

To permit the handling of stocks of cash at the cash center CC to bebetter monitored, it can be provided for example to mount surveillancecameras 18 in the area of the individual processing stations at the cashcenter CC. The recorded digital image data are advantageously storedtogether with data of the instantaneous transaction, i.e. of theinstantaneously processed deposit. This can be done particularly easilyand reliably by these transaction data being displayed automatically inthe image of the surveillance camera 18.

The data of the surveillance cameras 18 can thus be used in combinationwith deposit data recorded in the software in the computer 4 forobtaining complete monitoring of the money transport at the cash center.

EXAMPLE i2

As mentioned above, a log with the relevant data (customer, account,deposit identification, date, number of forgeries, number of bank notesper denomination and/or total value, etc.) is created for each depositprocessing operation. Although also possible, these data are preferablysent to the customers not in paper form but in paperless form, e.g. byfax or e-mail. The data can be so prepared that customers can add thedata to a database system.

1. A system for processing deposits of bank notes, comprising: a firstbank note processing machine with at least one input pocket, at leastone checking device and at least one output pocket for subjecting thebank notes of a deposit to a first checking operation; a second banknote processing machine with at least one input pocket, at least onechecking device and at least one output pocket, the second bank noteprocessing machine arranged to subject bank notes of the deposit thatwere previously checked by the first bank note processing machine to asecond checking operation, the bank notes of the second checkingoperation including all bank notes qualifying as authentic or rejectbank notes in the first checking operation and excluding bank notescategorized as being false or suspicious in the first checkingoperation; and an evaluation device to which data of both the first andsecond checking operations are supplied for performing an evaluation ofthe deposit on the basis of both the first and second checkingoperations.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second banknote processing machine differs with regard to functionality and/orefficiency in comparison with the first bank note processing machine. 3.The system according to claim 2, wherein the functionality and/orefficiency of the second bank note processing machine differs from thefirst bank note processing machine by performing different checkingoperations and/or having a higher maximum hourly throughput.
 4. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein both the first and second bank noteprocessing machines are connected to the evaluation device via signallines to enable data on the checking operations to be transferredautomatically to the evaluation device.
 5. The system according to claim1, wherein different types of deposits, such as deposits of differentsize or different customers, are checked automatically by different banknote processing machines and/or with different processing sequences. 6.The system according to claim 1, wherein when checking the same depositthe second bank note processing machine performs different checkingoperations or the same checking operations, optionally with differentaccuracy and/or different acceptance criteria, from the first bank noteprocessing machine.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein in thesecond checking operation in the second bank note processing machineonly certain bank notes (BN) of the deposit are checked for certaincheck criteria, in dependence on a check result of the first checkingoperation in the first bank note processing machine.
 8. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein for carrying out the second checkingoperation of the second bank note processing machine, data on the resultof the first checking operation of the first bank note processingmachine are supplied by the first bank note processing machine and/or bythe evaluation device.
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein thefirst bank note processing machine performs an authenticity checkwithout a fitness check, and the second bank note processing machineperforms a fitness check optionally without an authenticity check. 10.The system according to claim 1, wherein the first bank note processingmachine performs an authenticity check, determination of denominationand orientation sorting of the bank notes of the deposit, and the secondbank note processing machine performs a fitness check of the authenticbank notes (BN) of the same deposit sorted according to orientation. 11.The system according to claim 1, including a reader unit for reading aunique bank note feature, such as unique measuring features of the banknotes, and/or a reader for the serial number of the bank notes isintegrated in the first bank note processing machine.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein, for inserting cassettes of differentconstructions, the first and/or the second bank note processing machinehas a plurality of different, firmly mounted adapters or at least onereplaceable adapter.
 13. The system according to claim 1, wherein dataon deposits to be processed in a future processing operation aretransmitted from an external device to the evaluation device, togetherwith or independently of the transport of the deposits to the assignedbank note processing machines.
 14. The system according to claim 1,including a surveillance camera installed in a room where the bank notesof the deposit are processed, and data on a deposit instantaneouslyprocessed within a range of the surveillance camera are linked withimage data.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein a data outputof the first and/or second bank note processing machine is coupled withthe surveillance camera and/or an associated supervising unit in such away as to transfer data that relate to the instantaneously processeddeposit and that are delivered by the bank note processing machine ormachines.
 16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the firstchecking operation in the first bank note processing machine comprises afitness check of the bank notes, and bank notes with different fitnessare processed further in different second bank note processing machines.17. The system according to claim 1, wherein upon a successive check ofthe bank notes of a deposit in two bank note processing machines, theaccounting of the deposit is already effected after the first checkingoperation in the first bank note processing machine.
 18. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein at least one output pocket of the firstbank note processing machine is connected to at least one input pocketof the second bank note processing machine via a dispatch tubeconnection.
 19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the bank notesare stacked in the first bank note processing machine in a dispatch tubecontainer, and are singled out of the dispatch tube container in thesecond bank note processing machine connected to the first bank noteprocessing machine via a dispatch tube connection.
 20. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein at least the first and/or second bank noteprocessing machines are connected via signal lines to a computer whichhas access to the data on deposits incoming and to be processed, and thecomputer transmits deposit-related data to all or at least some of thebank note processing machines connected by data line to said computer,so that said machines are preconfigured for deposits to be subsequentlyprocessed thereon.
 21. A method for processing deposits of notes,comprising: processing notes of a deposit successively in two bank noteprocessing machines, and supplying the data of both the first and secondchecking operations to an evaluation device in order to perform anevaluation of the deposit on the basis of both the first and secondchecking operations; wherein the second checking operation includesprocessing all notes qualifying as authentic or reject notes in thefirst checking operation and excludes notes categorized as being falseor suspicious in the first checking operation.
 22. The method accordingto claim 21, wherein different types of deposits, such as deposits ofdifferent size or different customers, are checked automatically bydifferent bank note processing machines and/or with different processingsequences, specifically e.g. alternatively a one-stage or a two-stageprocessing operation with one or two bank note processing machines isselected.
 23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the evaluationdevice receives data from an external device on deposits to be processedin a future processing operation, together with or independently of thetransport of the deposits to the assigned bank note processing machines.24. The method according to claim 21, wherein only the bank notes of asingle deposit are processed in a processing operation in the first banknote processing machine, and optionally the bank notes of a plurality ofdeposits are processed in a processing operation in the second bank noteprocessing machine.
 25. The method according to claim 21, wherein thefirst checking operation in the first bank note processing machinecomprises a fitness check of the bank notes, and bank notes withdifferent fitness are processed further in other second bank noteprocessing machines.
 26. The method according to claim 21, wherein, upona successive check of the bank notes of a deposit in two bank noteprocessing machines, the accounting of the deposit is already effectedafter the first checking operation in the first bank note processingmachine.
 27. The method according to claim 21, including using transportcontainers for the deposits, said containers including, and/or haveadded to them a chip with a memory, and wherein one part of the data tobe passed on to the evaluation device and relating to the particulardeposit is already prestored in said chip, and for compiling deposits tobe processed only a remaining part of the data to be passed on to theevaluation device and relating to the particular deposit is stored inthe chip.
 28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, upon deliveryof a deposit in a plurality of, in particular also different kinds of,transport containers, the bank notes of the plurality of transportcontainers are first brought together and then, as a common deposit,processed further and checked in the first and/or second bank noteprocessing machine.
 29. The method according to claim 21, wherein ahandheld unit with a scanner is used, with which data for compiling adeposit to be processed are scanned e.g. from a screen or the like. 30.A method for processing deposits of bank notes, comprising: processingnotes of a deposit successively in two bank note processing machines,and supplying the data of both the first and second checking operationsto an evaluation device in order to perform an evaluation of the depositon the basis of both the first and second checking operations; wherein acheck is made as to whether there are deviations between the actual dataof the deposit which were determined by the evaluation device on thebasis of the checking operations of the first and/or second bank noteprocessing machines, and the target data of the deposit which werealready fixed before the carrying out of the checking operations. 31.The method according to claim 30, wherein a warning signal is emittedwhen the deviations satisfy a given criterion.